Osculum
by Puff Pastry Breadbug
Summary: During the Battle of Hogwarts, both Hermione and Neville are hit by one of the most potent Dark curses of all time. Hermione recovers quickly, while Neville remains unconscious. And then an ancient spell in the Department of Mysteries comes into play...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, this story is Hermione/Neville, and takes place in Hermione's view. Read, review, and enjoy!**

_ "HARRY!" Hagrid shouted. "HARRY - WHERE'S HARRY?"_

The chaos was everywhere.

I pushed and shoved, trying to get to where they - those despicable, evil things - had left my best friend's body. Tears ran down my dirt-streaked face as the sheer force of numbers pushed me back towards the castle.

I turned away, struggling to hold back my tears, and ran forward, pushing and shoving. I sent curses and jinxes at every Death Eater I could see, welding their masks to their faces, Tongue-Tying them, everything. Several seemingly crumpled before my spells even hit them, but I didn't care. With a hate I didn't know I possessed, I stepped on one's masked face, pushing it to the ground.

I reached the Entrance Hall just in time to see Voldemort send a Killing Curse at Seamus Finnigan and Hannah Longbottom. The pit in my stomach that had existed for months tightened and clenched as I saw the green light fly like a bullet towards my two friends-

-And ricochet off of a Shield Charm. Where had it come from?

Seamus and Hannah didn't stop to wonder, and darted right back into battle.

I turned and saw Charlie Weasley and Professor Slughorn - who was still wearing his pyjamas - storm up the front steps, accompanied by the families and friends of every Hogwarts student who had remained to fight, along with the people of Hogsmeade. I gasped as Bane, Ronan, and Magorian thundered into the hall, letting their arrows fly into the robes of the Death Eaters.

My breath caught in my throat as the doors of the kitchens exploded, and a force of house-elves charge out, brandishing carving knives and cleavers, using their strange magic to blast Death Eaters into the air. More tears streamed down my face as Kreacher, who was leading it all, roared, "Fight! Fight! Fight for my Master, defender of house-elves! Fight the Dark Lord, in the name of brave Regulus! Fight!"

My joy at seeing the Death Eaters overcome by our willpower and number was dulled as the thought of Harry's broken and lifeless body reentered my mind. It would never, ever leave my mind. Not ever.

The screams of both Death Eaters and Hogwarts defenders rang in my ears as I pushed over to where Bellatrix Lestrange was dueling Ginny and Luna. They could not die. No. Not after Harry.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Ron and Neville hit Fenrir Greyback with dozens of curses. I almost smiled as I saw him grow tentacles on his face - from the combination of a Jelly-Legs Jinx and a Furnunculus Curse.

I shrieked as an eggshell blue light erupted from a Death Eater's wand, headed straight for Neville. It hit him in between the eyes, and he crumpled, deathly pale, to the floor.

"_AVADA KEDAVRA!_" I shrieked for the first time, pointing my wand at the Death Eater. A blazing green light shot out of it, spitting like a rabid dragon. It met its mark, and the Death Eater crumpled to the floor.

Ron stared at me, and once again I remembered his oft-repeated statement. _'You're brilliant, you know? Brilliant, but scary.'_

There was no time to help Neville. I turned around, my heart pounding so loudly I thought it was lodged in my ear, and jumped right between Luna and Ginny, firing a hex straight at her. She deflected it with a manic smile and sent a Killing Curse straight for Ginny. Oh no, not Ginny, please not Ginny…

But, with the grace of her Horse patronus, Ginny effortlessly twirled out of the way, the green light nearly touching a few of her flyaway hairs.

"NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"

Mrs. Weasley ran in front of us, firing a curse at Bellatrix as she did so.

"OUT OF MY WAY!" she shouted at us. Wordlessly I grabbed Luna and Ginny and sprinted away, quickly Healing some of the injuries on Luna's face.

"No! Get back! Get _back!_ She is mine!"

Hundreds of people, both Death Eaters and Hogwarts defenders, watched the fight as well as another - the fight between Voldemort, Professor McGonagall, Slughorn, and Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"What will happen to your children when I've killed you?" Bellatrix taunted in her insane voice, dodging Mrs. Weasley's curses in some crazy spinning dance.

"You - will - never - touch - our - children - again!" screamed Mrs. Weasley. My mind flashed back to Fred's body, battered and broken after the wall fell on him, yet still alive. I froze as I thought of any of my friends dying. Not after Harry, please, no more…

Bellatrix was laughing, exhilarated and absolutely crazy. The scars on my skin, the ones that read _Mudblood_, prickled at the sight of her. Suddenly my mind flashed back to when we were in the Department of Mysteries, and Sirius was hit by her Killing Curse…

Mrs. Weasley's curse shot like an arrow, straight for Bellatrix's heart. My scars tingled as the _Avada Kedavra_ slammed right into her chest.

She stopped smiling.

She stopped breathing.

She knew it had happened.

And then she fell, and I screamed with joy.

Others did too, but over them all came Voldemort's high, piercing shriek of rage. He blasted my teachers and my Auror friend away, straight into the other wall. I managed a large Cushioning Charm to protect them from the impact before I noticed that Voldemort had raised his wand level with Molly Weasley.

_"PROTEGO!" _someone roared, and a Shield Charm existed where there had not been one before.

And then, Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, my best friend, revealed himself to the entire school.

I erupted in fresh tears, only these were tears of happiness. For I knew now how this battle was going to end.

But I was not meant to see it, for I never noticed a quiet presence behind my back.

I never heard them say, _"Osculum."_

I only felt myself crumple to the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

I awaken slowly, my eyes not quite seeing yet. My entire body felt like it was put through a meat grinder - I try to flex my fingers and toes and find that I can't.

"She's awake!"

I smile vaguely as I hear Ron's voice. I attempt to lift my hand to my mouth, remembering our kiss, but I find that I still can't move.

I open my eyes. Harry and Ron are sitting by my bedside - I recognize the cleanliness of St. Mungo's around me.

"Wha…?" I manage to croak out.

"You-Know-Who's dead!" Ron shouted. A mediwitch glared at him, but he didn't notice.

"Voldemort is dead?" I whispered. A tear of happiness falls out of my eye. "Really?"

"Yup," Harry assured me. "I killed him."

"I knew you would, you know," I informed him. "After you turned out not to be dead. How long have I been unconscious?"

"Only a day," Harry reassured me.

"We buried Snape," Ron told me. "Right next to Dumbledore."

Tears fell unchecked down my face as I thought about all we had learned about our Potions professor. How his entire life, he was working as a traitor, forced to passively bear witness to things no one should have to see…

All because he loved Harry's mother.

What would that be like? To have someone love you so much, they would potentially give up their life as a free person for you?

Oh, I would for Harry, of course. But I loved him as a brother, not as a lover.

Despite myself, I blushed.

"Hermione? What's wrong?" Ron asked, noticing. My blush was _so_ noticeable.

I forced myself not to shiver when he took his hand in mine.

"If you'll excuse me," a mediwitch said, not disguising her boredom, "I need to tend to the lady."

With one last glance at me, my two friends left the room.

I had learned that some people in St. Mungo's were very nice, and others didn't care at all. This Healer was quite obviously of the latter group.

"Listen, kid, you got hit by an illegal curse created by Nott, a Death Eater," she explained in a monotone voice. "From the looks of it, one of your friends got hit by it too."

I strained to see, but my body was still locked up.

"Could you help me?" I asked grumpily.

The mediwitch muttered something, waved her wand, and suddenly I could move again. I got up quickly, the blood rushing to my head.

"Oh _Merlin_, no," I gasped in horror as I looked at the boy next to me.

Neville Longbottom lay just like I had, tensed up as if ready to spring up. His face, caked with dried blood, was emotionless and empty.

Worse, his eyes were wide open.

"You didn't even clean his face?" I snapped. _"Accio!"_ I called into the air, and a damp washcloth zoomed to my hand. Before she could protest, I was wiping his face off carefully.

As I washed Neville's face, I wondered who on this earth would come up with such a despicable spell. He was still breathing, as the Supersensory Charm latched to his chest still fluttered regularly, but he wasn't responding to anything I said or did.

Finally his face was completely washed. I had a feeling he hadn't done so in a while.

I unwittingly sighed as I looked at his face. During their weeks of hiding out in the Room of Requirement, Neville had allowed his hair to grow out. His face was framed in boyish curls, and his skin was pale and smooth in the daylight…

"Honey," the mediwitch said behind me, making me jump, "This is Copernicus Lasson, our Dark Arts Healer specialist." She then continued, in a whisper, "After the way you were sighing over the boy, I'd thought it'd be best for him to do a formal examination."

"I wasn't-" I began to protest, but the mediwitch shushed me and gave me a wink.

"Miss Granger, is it not?" Mr. Lasson asked me. He had absolutely no hair except for a small mustache, which was gelled and pruned to make it look much bigger. I had to stifle a laugh at how ridiculous he looked.

"Yes," I replied. "This is my friend Neville Longbottom."

"Hmm…" he murmured, looking over his glasses at Neville.

As he examined my friend, I felt the weight that had been piled on my shoulders for a year slowly return. Not after everything, after killing Voldemort, after destroying his Horcruxes, I honestly don't know if I could take one more tragedy.

"Dear oh dear," muttered the Healer. "Miss Granger, your friend… but, if you were hit with the same… hmm…"

"Sir, would you mind telling me what's going on?" I asked impatiently.

"Miss Granger, both you and your friend were hit with the Osculus Curse, the Kissing Curse."

He didn't have to finish - my mind whirred and started running double time as I processed his words. Kissing Curse… Osculus, _osculum_ was kiss in Latin…

"You're telling me…?" I gasped as the realization hit me.

"Yes," he nodded gravely. "The Death Eaters somehow managed to imbue the power of the Dementor's Kiss into a spell."

* * *

><p>I sat by Neville's side for an hour, sobbing. Ron and Harry came in as well, though I hardly noticed them. Ron gently placed his hand on my shoulder, a weak attempt to comfort me.<p>

Neville - my first magical friend, the first wizard I had met - was all but dead. Trapped inside his own body, he must be experiencing nightmares no one should have to.

Eventually, I ran out of tears. Squeezing Neville's cold hand one more time, I walked slowly out of the ward and down the corridor. I glanced at a floor plan posted on the white walls and saw that I was on the fourth floor - Spell Damage.

I wandered down to the first floor - Creature- Induced Injuries. I had seen a new ward on the floor plan - the Remus Lupin ward. I wanted to visit it, naturally.

I walked to the floor, seeing the sign 'NEW WARD' pointing me to the end of the hall. It appeared the construction was already done.

As I entered it, I froze.

Lying there was Lavender Brown, and Parvati Patil was crouched by her bedside, sobbing and crying.

"Parvati?" I whispered.

"H-h-huh?" she hiccuped through her tears.

"It's me, Hermione," I whispered, hugging her. "What's wrong?"

"L-l-lavender!" she shrieked, burying her head into my shoulder. "He was half-t-t-transformed! She's a… a w-w-werewolf!"

My mouth dropped open in shock. "No…" I whispered.

I had never been very fond of Lavender. She often made fun of my hair and my clothes, and… let's not even get into our problems during sixth year. But she had been my roommate for six years, and our entire class had been through a lot together.

"It's going to be okay, Parvati, it's going to be okay," I murmured. "Professor Lupin was doing fine before…"

We both fell silent at that. I missed Lupin and Tonks _so_ much, but there was no way to bring them back. Thank _god_ none of the Weasleys were dead…

"I'm sorry for crying on you, Hermione," Parvati whispered. "Lavender may not have shown that she liked you a lot, but she really admired you."

I didn't know what to say at that. I looked over at Lavender, a scar traced down the side of her once-unblemished cheek, a bite on her left arm.

Her life would never be the same.

But, as I left the Remus Lupin ward, I realized that neither would mine.


	3. Chapter 3

**(By the way, the date right now is May 3rd, 1998.)**

Professor McGonagall had managed to lift the Anti-Apparition Wards that surrounded the castle, thank goodness. I Apparated into the Great Hall, where Madam Pomfrey had set up her ward.

"Hermione!" Professor McGonagall shouted when she saw me. "Thank goodness you're okay."

"Professor… I don't know how I _am_ okay. Both Neville and I were hit by the same curse…" I stopped talking, tears coming to my eyes. "Oh, Professor, the curse had the same effect as the Dementor's Kiss!"

McGonagall froze and turned pale. "No… not Neville."

"And Lavender's a w-w-werewolf now," I stuttered, holding back my tears.

"No," she whispered, sinking to the floor. "No…"

It was almost as bad as her despair when we thought Harry was dead. She stared blankly ahead, not seeing anything.

"Augusta?" she called out. My heart raced as I realized that she was calling for Neville's grandmother.

"Yes, Minerva?" an old lady called back. Contrary to her appearance, she bustled over quite quickly. Besides her clothes - there was the famous stuffed vulture hat - I could see how Neville was intimidated by her.

"Hermione… you tell her," McGonagall whispered, still kneeling on the ground.

No. She was not doing this to me. She was not making me be the Messenger.

"Mrs. Longbottom…" I began, not sure how to begin.

"Have you seen my grandson?" she asked imperiously.

"Well, that's the thing. Both he and I were hit by the same curse, but I recovered and he didn't."

"Have the Healers discovered the name of the curse?" she asked. Hermione detected a hint of fear in her voice.

"The Osculus Curse," I whispered. "The Dementor's Kiss as a spell."

"No," she breathed, turning pale. She didn't fall to the ground like Professor McGonagall had, though. She just swayed unsteadily on the spot, looking at any moment like she was about to topple to the floor.

"First Frank and Alice, now Neville…" she murmured. "Oh Merlin… what curse have you put on the Longbottom family?"

I didn't know how to comfort her. I honestly had no idea. She was right, of course - life had been unfair, cruel, terrible, _excruciating_ for the Longbottoms - During our sixth year, I had read that a Death Eater raid had killed his Great-Uncle Algie. How she managed to hold herself together, I didn't know how.

"Look!" someone yelled, pointing to the wall. I tensed and grabbed my wand instinctively.

But instead I saw a familiar silver lynx glide through the stone and land on top of the Professor's table. I breathed a sigh of relief.

And then I gasped as it turned into Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"Kingsley!" McGonagall shrieked. "How did you - how is it…?"

"The Patroni Animagus Charm," he explained. "Created by yours truly. But that isn't important at the moment."

He turned to face all of the students milling about in the Hall.

"There is a… giant problem at the Ministry," he began uncertainly. A knot of expectation began to grow inside of her. "But it appears there is no way to call it off."

"I am sure you are all vaguely familiar with the Department of Mysteries, yes?"

There was a murmuring of _yes_ and a nodding of heads.

"Well, there is a room devoted entirely to the study of how love works alongside magic."

_"Love magic?"_ Seamus laughed. "What's love got to do with _magic_?"

I fought back an urge to hex him into pieces.

"Everything," a quiet voice said. "That's how I survived Voldemort's attack on me when I was a baby."

I was satisfied to see Seamus turn bright red and stop talking.

"Well, the room is kept locked at all time, but, for the first time, a Minister - me - was allowed inside."

The knot of anticipation in me grew and tightened. What was going on in the Love Room? What did that have to do with Hogwarts?

"It is a most wondrous place," he said, his voice taking on a dreamy quality. Professor McGonagall discreetly shook him, and he snapped back to focus. "But in the library of the room, we found an ancient tome with an Ever-Write Quill, very similar to the one that records all magical children."

My brain started to work faster, but I couldn't get anything else out of his speech so far. _What was going on?_

"It also records all magical children, although only those who have finished their OWLs," he continued. "And… er… it begins to, ah, _pair_ them when it deems it necessary."

No. No way.

No freaking way.

"This book saw, of course, that Voldemort was a great threat, although it thought that there would be much more destruction and, er, killing. Luckily enough, this was avoided."

I lost my patience.

"Minister, I'm sorry, but _please_ get to the point!" I shouted. Professor McGonagall shot daggers at me, but I ignored her. I was fed up with his stammering and long-winded explanation.

"Well, obviously, people like Voldemort target the weak and easy to harm - the children," he said. "So the book makes, ah, _arranged_ marriages amongst those who have gone through the Ordinary Wizarding Levels. It does this because it foresees the need to have magical children in the near future, after many have been killed in the war."

We all managed to process this as a quick rate, considering what it meant to us. All of us, fifth-year and above, had been paired off to people that we might not even know. And strictly for the purpose of having children that weren't needed!

"Minister, what happens if we refuse the arrangements made by this book?" I asked icily.

"Well…" he said, looking more uncomfortable than ever, "The witch who created this book, one of the Heads of the Department, had a deep liking for Muggle fairy tales. So…"

I glared at him, and everyone who could see me visibly shivered. I suddenly felt like Mrs. Weasley.

"You'd turn into sea foam," he finished.

My jaw dropped. Of all the blasted Muggle fairytales in the world, this witch decided to go with 'The Little Mermaid'.

I could kill somebody right now.

"Your letters containing the name of the person you are marrying should arrive any moment."

At his last word, about six hundred owls fluttered into the room. Everybody took their letter with shaking hands, though nobody unfolded them.

A large barn owl swooped down in front of me, bearing an ornate letter. I didn't care _how_ fancily the Ministry was treating me right now, I could Bat-Bogey Hex them all on a moment's notice.

I snatched the letter off the owl and shooed it away. I stared defiantly at the envelope, then turned green at a thought.

This could be anyone. ANYONE. It could be Harry, it could be _Malfoy_. A blush crept up my cheeks as I thought of Ron. _That_ wouldn't be so bad…

"Now, the age requirements of the book range from age fifteen to the age of twenty-one," explained Kingsley. "You have until the thirty-first of July to get married to your… selected partner." He winced, and I appreciated that. He didn't want to be doing this anymore than I…

I realized with a blush that both Fred and George were still eligible to be married.

_"Sonorus,"_ a dreamy voice said beside me. Luna Lovegood held her letter quite calmly. I wondered why she was magnifying her voice…

"Lions of the Houses, hear my roar!" she shouted. I would've laughed at the contrasting sound of her voice and her spacey appearance, but I had just learned that I was going to be married to someone I might not even know.

"_Quietus._ That means we go to the Room of Requirement," Luna whispered to me. "It's the D.A.'s code phrase. Come on!"

They left slowly, inconspicuously, trickling out. Many of them wore shock on their faces, though none of them had opened their letters. It was a clever trick, really - most people would want to take a breather after learning such news.

I walked out slowly, staring down at my feet, creasing my eyebrows in pretend worry. Luna had her arm draped around my shoulder, comforting me. Ahead of me, Ginny looked back at us and winked. I felt a tug at the corners of my mouth, but I couldn't smile. Not right now.

Keeping my face sullen, I wandered seemingly aimlessly up the castle corridors. When we passed the Fat Lady, she cried, "Oh, you poor dears!"

The Grey Lady also seemed subdued as we passed her. I wondered what was wrong - did she have a bad experience with love?

We finally reached the Room of Requirement. Others had already gathered there, and some were inside.

_I need to find out who I'm going to marry,_ I said three times, shocking myself each time I said it.

The door appeared promptly, and Luna and I walked in, both of us clutching our letters so hard I was surprised they didn't rip.

Finally, Luna poked her head out of the door, saw no one else coming, and closed it.

"Right," she began. "Whoever would like to go first, please stand up. Now, if I'm correct - which I hope I am - once you get married, after six months, you may annul the marriage and move on with your life. You can't do that until the six months after your marriage. Unless you fancy being sea foam," she added.

Parvati Patil was the first to stand. She limped quietly over to the stage that had materialized for us. Someone Conjured a chair for her and she gratefully sat down.

Slowly, painstakingly, she unfolded the letter. Her mouth dropped open.

"Gregory Goyle," she whispered. I gasped - the poor girl!

She was about to limp as fast as she could out of the room, when Luna said, "I think we should all wait to hear our friends'… partners. The D.A. sticks together, even through this."

There was a murmur of assent, and Parvati, still mortified, sat back down.

Dennis Creevey stood up next, and almost ran to the stage.

"Romilda Vane," he said out loud. I chanced a glance at Harry, who sat next to Ginny. He was stifling a grin.

Romilda certainly looked horrified. I thought I saw her skin looking decidedly bubbly - almost like sea foam. She smiled in a pained way at Dennis, who sat beside her.

It continued in this way - George got paired with Angelina, which broke her down into tears of joy. They had been dating anyway. Fred got paired with Katie, and Lee with Alicia. It made everyone a bit more cheerful to see all three troublemakers paired with all three former Gryffindor Chasers.

Ginny boldly stood up next, walking with a confident air to the stage. But I could see in her tense face that she wasn't confident at all.

_Harry, Harry, Harry, Harry… _I chanted at her letter. It had to be, IT HAD TO BE. It better be.

"Harry Potter!" she screamed, her eyes lighting up. The crowd whooped and cheered as she jumped off the stage and into Harry's arms. Luna's face lit up excitedly, and I allowed my happy tears to flow.

"Wish me luck," a familiar voice said behind me.

"Ron…" I whispered, turning around. "Do you think…?"

"If I don't get you, I'll… I'll be lost," he croaked, running his hand through his hair. I smiled at him, and impulsively kissed him on the cheek. Then, he drew me in for a hug.

"Good luck," I murmured into his shoulder.

"I hope it's you," he whispered into my hair. "Please, Merlin, let it be you."

I smiled at him tearily and watched him walk up to the stage.

He unfolded his letter excruciatingly slow. My eyes were brimming with tears - I _loved_ Ron, I truly did, it _had_ to be me…

"Luna… Lovegood," he said.

My heart fell to the floor.

"Me?" Luna said in a daze. Her eyes widened and her nostrils flared. "Me?"

I couldn't help it - I broke down in tears.

"Oh, Hermione, I'm so, so, sorry…" Luna sobbed into my shoulder, hugging me. "This isn't right, there has to be a way, maybe we can destroy the book, and…"

But even as she spoke, her skin bubbled and foamed, and grew distinctively lighter-colored.

"N-n-no, y-y-ou c-c-c-c-can't die," I hiccuped through my tears.

Ron stood on stage, his shoulders sagging.

"Best I found out who I got," I said, pulling myself together.

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, I walked to the stage, passing Ron as I went. He held out his arms to me, but I pushed them away, knowing I couldn't take seeing the bubbles on his arms.

We were not meant to be, and I couldn't change it.

I stood on the stage, suddenly wishing I had Parvati's chair to support me. Who on earth was I going to get married to? I was too young for this, I shouldn't have to deal with this…

I thought of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy's unhappy marriage. Was that my destiny? I thought with a shiver. Marrying only to stay alive?

With increasingly shaking hands, I tore open the letter and pulled the parchment out.

The entire room seemed to hold in it's breath.

Carefully, I unfolded the parchment.

There were only two words on there.

"NO!" I shrieked. It was awful, this couldn't be happening. "NO!"

Luna had already rushed to the stage. She grabbed my waist with one arm, steadying me, while taking the letter from my other.

"Neville Longbottom," she read out.

The room was completely silent.

"I can't take this anymore," I whispered, tears streaming down my face. "Hateful, hateful book…"

I twisted out of Luna's grasp, and looked once more at Ron, who was staring at me with eyes filled with sorrow.

I Disapparated out of there.

Out of hell.


	4. Chapter 4

I had Apparated to my old house in London. I broke down into fresh tears when I saw how completely empty it was.

"Oh Mum, Dad," I sobbed. "You don't even know you have an engaged daughter!"

I cried and cried until I had no tears left. I found that I was doing that a lot.

What should I do now? Not the Burrow, I couldn't handle it. Not Hogwarts, and _not_ St. Mungo's. I couldn't see Neville - my fiancé? - again.

I thought about my options. I really had nowhere else to go…

Then I realized what I could do.

My hand dove into my beaded bag as I searched for my Floo powder supply. I finally found it, a small black box etched with leaf patterns.

I had only read about where I was going in _A History of Wizarding Britain_, but I hoped I could figure it out.

"Portkey Central Station!" I called out, tossing the powder into the flames I had conjured in my fireplace.

I stepped into the glowing green fire and was was whisked away.

* * *

><p>Copernicus Lasson was told of the unusual circumstances of the Amore Liber, the 'Book of Love' as they called it.<p>

"So Miss Brown and Mister Finnegan are definitely tied that way?" he asked the Healer-in-Training.

"Yes," she replied evenly. He rather liked this trainee - she was much more level-headed and nicer than the others. "Mister Finnegan has become a werewolf."

"This could lead to some interesting research opportunities," he mused aloud. "If we managed to somehow manipulate the Amore Liber into writing down false things, perhaps we could get more into the complex study of wizarding bonds…"

"Er, sir?" she asked, snapping him out of her reverie. "We can't currently locate Miss Granger at the moment."

"Please do whatever you can to find her," he said grimly. "There may be a way to cure the Dementor's Kiss after all."

* * *

><p>The Portkey Central Station was incredible.<p>

It was a vast wall, built into the side of a hill that was so laced with Muggle-Repelling Charms and the like that it was like a buzzing in the air.

Hundreds of moving staircases flew through the air like owls, taking people of all sorts to different Portkeys.

The wall, frankly, looked like the 'cubbies' that we had to use in kindergarten, only each one was much, much larger and there were about five hundred of them.

Each giant room, comically, only held a couple of things. There was an old item sitting on a pedestal - the Portkey. As soon as one group disappeared, a clerk, who had a large stack of old, dirty, used items on her desk, would replace it with a new one, say the appropriate spell, and wait for the next staircase. If you donated an old object to the clerk, you got anywhere from two to seven Sickles for your help. Shoes seemed to be the most valued item.

I smiled despite myself. The wizarding world would never cease to amaze me.

I looked at a giant blackboard that was inlaid into the hill as well. On it were the arrivals and departures, constantly changing.

_Australia, Australia,_ I thought, scanning the blackboard. There!

_Sydney, Australia, 1:30 PM._

I look at the upper right hand corner of the blackboard. It was 1:20 right now.

I race up to a button on one of the many lampposts nearby. Following a wizard's example, I pressed my wand firmly to it and said, "Sydney, Australia, 1:30 PM."

A staircase swung down gracefully to where I was. I climbed up the stairs as far as I could go - there were already other wizards and witches on.

I fought the urge to vomit as the staircase swung quickly to another lamppost, picking up another person. And another. And another.

I had forgotten that Sydney was the wizarding capital of Australia. People jostled for a position on the staircase, pushing each other around. I clutched my beaded bag closer to my chest.

"Please no jostling on the staircases!" yelled a Ministry worker on her broom, her voice hoarse. I didn't envy her job, personally. "Sir, _please_ no jostling on the staircases! Ma'am, may I remind you that pushing a person off a staircase can result to a fine of up to three hundred Galleons? Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to step off the staircase."

I was appalled. A lady below me had been jockeying for a position with another witch, who was now lying facedown in the mud. Healers had already rushed to her and were checking her face for any damage.

Our staircase swung down to the ground - there was that awful nauseating feeling - and the woman was forced to step off.

Seeing her fate, the witches and wizards on my staircase calmed down a bit and resorted to shuffling their feet anxiously. No doubt some made this commute every day.

"Hermione?" an incredulous voice said above me.

"Who is-" I began, looking up.

It was a young African American boy, no older than twelve. He grinned boyishly at me, and he _looked_ familiar…

_"Dean?"_ I said. No, it couldn't be.

"You got me!" he said jovially. "How are you?"

I smiled and hugged him. Dean had always been one of my favorite Gryffindors. He was always the quiet artist, and several times when I awoke in the common room I found him sipping a cup of coffee by the window, enjoying the early morning light.

"Not so good," I admitted, getting up onto the same step as him. He steadied me as we swung around, heading for another lamppost.

"You got paired?" he asked grimly.

"Yeah," I replied, trying to sound indifferent. "To Neville."

"Oh Hermione," he sighed. "I'm so sorry. I can't believe that you…"

"It's kind of hard, I have to admit," I responded. "I thought I loved Ron, but he got paired with Luna…"

Dean gave me another hug.

"But enough about me," I said sharply. "How on earth did you get yourself into that body?"

"McGonagall," he said simply. "I begged and begged her to brew me a potion - I had overheard the Minister talking with her - and she finally did. The Adulescentia Potio is permanent, but apparently it was a loophole out of the marriage contract."

"You mean you're going to look twelve forever?" I asked, appalled.

"Until the day I die," he replied. "But it's a small price to pay if it means avoiding marrying Parkinson."

I snickered.

"Plus, I never really wanted children or a wife," he said offhandedly.

"Ginny?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I was a tortured artist, I was bound to go through a _couple _of passionately rough relationships!" he protested.

We looked at each other and burst out laughing.

I hadn't been this happy since before our hunt for the Horcruxes started. What I felt was true joy and laughter coursing through me.

"Why are you going to Sydney?" I asked.

"There's a print shop owned by a wizard over there," he revealed excitedly. "I've explained my condition to him, and he's offered me a job there as both a printer _and_ a writer! My entire family's already there - they've decided there's got to be less danger in Australia than in Britain."

"Good for you!" I said happily. I was glad _someone_ was getting out of this mess.

"Why are you going to Australia?" he asked.

I frowned. "To protect them from Death Eaters, I put a False Memory Charm on my parents. They don't know they have a daughter, and they moved to Australia. I'm going back to fix it."

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"It'll be fine," I said a little too quickly.

"No," he said, rubbing my arm. "You lost your parents, and now you have to wake up your… fiancé or else both of you will die."

"Yeah, that's a bit of a problem, isn't it?" I said, trying to make light of the situation. All I did was make tears come to my eyes.

We had a bit of a silence. I checked the blackboard again. 1:29.

"We're here!" a sing-song voice echoed out from the stairs.

It was pandemonium. Respectable witches and wizards stampeded to get to the Portkey, some rushing to the clerk to drop off old items. Cramming their pockets with Sickles, they ran towards our Portkey - a battered porkpie hat - and gathered around it eagerly, once again jockeying for position.

I managed to get there first, but Dean - who, after all, was starting fresh in Australia - had to drop off a large bag of items. The clerk handed him an impressive amount of Galleons, and he

ran to the spot I had kept for him.

"Three…" a voice said from above us.

"Two…"

"One."

All the wizards and witches grabbed onto either the Portkey or the person in front of them. For a moment I thought about how absurd we all must look, crowded around an old hat, clutching each other.

Then, a hook behind my navel dragged me away, and I disappeared into darkness.

* * *

><p>Hermione never noticed a woman dressed in the Healer outfit of St. Mungo's, huffing and puffing, climb up a new staircase to the same Portkey box.<p>

"Have they left?" she wheezed at the clerk. She nodded.

"BLAST!" the Healer-in-Training roared, kicking at the floor. "Where did they go?"

"Sydney," the clerk responded in a monotone voice.

"I need you to arrange me an emergency Portkey there immediately," insisted the Healer-in-Training.

The clerk ignored her.

"Look at me!" she screamed, waving her badges and stamps of approval in front of the clerk. "That should be enough authorization!"

"Yes, yes," the clerk murmured. _"Portus."_

Gratefully, the Healer-in-Training grabbed onto the old Chudley Cannons poster and was whisked away.

She needed to find Hermione Granger.

* * *

><p>I said my goodbyes to Dean at the Portkey Station outside of Sydney - he was heading into the urban metropolis, while I was going for the coast.<p>

I cast a Disillusionment Charm on myself, then a Quick-Step Spell to get myself going faster.

About seven hours later - much more tired, sunburnt, and hungry than I had been before - I reached the little house my parents had always admired.

I crouched next to a wall, taking deep breaths. I Transfigured the sunburns on my body, calmed my rapidly frizzing hair, and steeled myself. Removal of any sort of Memory-Changing Charm was hard work, and I didn't want to damage my parent's brains.

I stood up and knocked on the door.

My mum answered it. "Hello!" she said brightly. I held back tears at seeing her again.

"Are you Monica Wilkins?" I asked.

"Yes," she said calmly.

"Is your husband Wendell Wilkins at home?" I continued.

"As a matter of fact, he is," she said.

"I need to speak to both of you, preferably in your sitting room," I said.

She swayed. "Did Georgia…"

"No, your… relative Georgia didn't die," I said. Gosh, I put some things into that Memory Charm that I didn't even _know_ about.

She opened the door wider for me, and I smiled quickly at her. I was about to have my mum back.

I almost broke down when I saw my dad in the stairwell.

"Honey…" he said, and I thought for a moment he was talking to me. I bit back a sob when I realized he was talking over my shoulder, at my mum.

"I think both of you should sit down," I began, gesturing to the couch. I sat down in a chair across from them.

_"Transpono,"_ I said, as soon as they both were seated.

My parents slumped over as two glowing white balls of energy slid out of their minds.

I knew that I couldn't destroy them before getting my parent's _real_ minds back in, or else they would be brainless… forever.

While keeping an eye on the glowing fake minds, Levitating them with my wand, I reached into my bag with the other and rummaged around for what I was looking for…

There! It was a pendant my parents gave to me when I came of age.

It was a sun carving, it's delicate sun rays held on by bits of miniscule wire. Currently, the sun had two glowing eyes - my parent's memories.

I opened the sun and let the memories float out. They would naturally be attracted to those that they had originally belonged to.

I let out a gasp of pain as the memories I held in place grew significantly heavier. They were dragging me down, trying to eliminate the competition. I knew how sensitive minds were - if they were even _touched_, they would shatter.

I trembled as I held up the false memories, watching as the real two entered my parent's mind. There was a significant glow and the entire home suddenly seemed much warmer.

I Levitated the false memories smack into the wall, where they crumbled into nothing.

"Mum… Dad?" I asked quietly.

Two pairs of familiar eyes looked straight back at me.

"Oh, Hermione," my dad murmured, and I felt myself enveloped in my parent's embrace.

Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad after all.


	5. Chapter 5

"Dad…" I murmured softly. "So much has happened…"

"The last thing I remember was you telling us you loved us…" my mother whispered. "And then my mind went blank."

"It was too dangerous to have you around when Voldemort was alive," I explained. "I created you false memories and had you move to Australia."

"Oh, honey," mum sighed, hugging me. "You were so brave, and you saved us."

"I did," I said, fighting back tears. "A day after you left, Death Eaters arrive at our house."

"Oh _sweetie_!" my mum cried, hugging me even tighter.

"And… You-Know-Who?" My dad asked tentatively.

"We can call him Voldemort now," I said joyfully. "He's dead."

Despite himself, my father let out a whoop of joy, and I laughed with mum at his antics.

"There's more," I said, biting my lip. My dad had always been protective of me - he was sure to try and storm the Ministry - even though he didn't know where it was - and yell at them to destroy the book that had assigned me.

"What is it, sweetie?" my mum asked, rubbing in small circles on my back.

"Well, there's a book in the Department of Mysteries - you know, where Voldemort almost caught us," I began slowly. "And it was written in with an Ever-Write Quill - which writes even if no one's around. An Ever-Write Quill writes the names of all the magical children born in the world - that's how Muggle-born witches and wizards are found."

"What does this book do?" mum asked quickly. I almost smiled - she was as enamored with the magical world as I.

"Well, when there's a war going on - or it senses that it's in a situation where a lot of people could die - it… it starts matching people from the age of fifteen to twenty-one."

_"No!"_ mum gasped.

"I have to be married by the thirty-first of July," I sobbed into her shoulder.

Dad didn't say anything - he just made a strangled sort of noise of anger, and made to get up.

"Dad, if I refuse, I'll turn into sea foam," I explained through my tears. "There's no way to reverse it."

His shoulders sagged visibly. He sat back down, defeated.

"My baby…" he mumbled. "My poor Hermione…"

"Who is it?" mum asked, then she brightened. "Is it Harry? Or Ron?"

"No," I whispered, barely even talking. "Ron's with Luna. Harry's with Ginny. I have Neville."

"Oh, well, you've known him for quite a while, that's nice!" my mother said, trying to appear happy.

"Oh _mum_, he's in the hospital! Someone hit him with a curse that gave him the Dementor's Kiss!"

Both of my parents froze. As soon as Voldemort came back, I spent the summer reviewing Dark creatures on his side and telling them the effects of their powers. Unfortunately, I had gone into particular detail about the Kiss.

"So even if you… _can't_ marry someone, because they're… incapacitated, you'll still turn into sea foam?" My dad growled.

"Yes," I said quietly.

The doorbell rang, so loudly that all of us jumped.

"Why did you install it so loud?" I asked, rubbing my ears.

"They didn't," a new voice said. "I just Magnified it because it didn't seem loud enough. Sorry."

A young, plump witch strode into the room, looking out of breath and tired.

"Are you Hermione Granger-Longbottom?" she asked. My father stiffened beside me.

"Yes," I confirmed, confused. "Who are…"

"I'm Mirana Hopkirk, Healer-in-Training at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries."

I blushed fiercely when I heard the last name Hopkirk. I hope she didn't know that I assaulted her relative and became her to infiltrate the Ministry last year.

"We have some of our best Dark Arts specialists working on your fiancé's case, and we believe we have found a lead," she told us. My heart leapt into my throat. Could we save Neville? "Are these your parents?"

"Yes, I put them under a False Memory Charm during Voldemort's reign to protect them. They moved to Australia."

"Very good," she approved. "I would suggest to the Minister that False Memory Charms be taught to Muggle-born students to protect their parents if something like this happens again."

Although my parents winced at the thought of taking on the identity of Monica and Wendell Wilkins again, I found myself growing to like Mirana. She told it how it was, bluntly and simply.

"Will we be going back via the Portkey Station?" I asked.

"No!" she said, looking shocked. "The Muggle-Repelling Charms could cause third-degree burns, they're so strong here."

Mum and dad paled visibly.

"I have an authorized CTP right here," she said, brandishing a Wellington.

"CTP?" my mum asked in confusion.

"Continent-Traversing Portkey," Mirana explained. "Everybody grab hold."

The Portkey was faintly growing blue.

"Quickly!" I urged my parents.

We all held a part of the Wellington - which sounded like it still had mud and water inside of it - and were carried off to England, where we were unceremoniously dumped in the lobby of St. Mungo's.

"Perfect!" Mirana explained.

"What about our stuff?" my dad asked.

"The Ministry has officials there moving it back to your house. Due to Miss Granger-Longbottom's obviously large role in overthrowing You-Know-Who, we're placing wards and enchantments around your house for safety."

For the first time in a long time, I felt a rush of affection for the Ministry of Magic.

"Well, c'mon, there's no time to lose!" the Healer-in-Training said.

It had been a nonstop whirl of activity for the past four minutes. My brain was buzzing.

"Okay," I said faintly, following her into the hospital. I turned back to see both my parents collapse into armchairs, rubbing their foreheads.

* * *

><p>Neville was surrounded by half a dozen Dark Arts specialists, all making notes with several Dictation Quills. Augusta Longbottom sat on a chair nearby, clutching a damp handkerchief.<p>

"Miss Granger," Mirana announced. All the Healers turned.

"Perfect!" one squeaked. "Mirana, please bring in Miss Brown and Mister Finnigan."

I blinked. Lavender and Seamus? Seamus had read out that they had been partnered, but…

They walked in, hands laced tightly together. I gasped as I saw the long thin scar on Lavender's left cheek mirrored on Seamus's right.

"Miss Granger, after reading that he and Miss Brown were to be married, Mister Finnigan felt faint and collapsed in the Great Hall. The scar began to develop shortly after. We have done extensive tests on blood samples, and have found that Mister Finnigan is also a werewolf now."

"So you believe that if I'm conscious, Neville should be soon…" I began, but the Healer stopped me.

"No, not quite like that. You see, the Osculus Curse is a Timed-Release Curse, and uses up almost all of the caster's energy. The man who you cast the curse on Ron also set several other Death Eater's wands to cast the curse at a certain time. Whoever held the wand at the time would lose their energy. So, a Death Eater who knew what the Curse Time was positioned himself behind you, and at that exact moment said the curse as well in order to amplify the power."

I paled.

"However, it was botched. The reason you woke up so early was because the one who cast the Time Release on the Death Eater wands - Mr. Nott, whom you killed - had divided his magical energy in doing so. You were only hit by what we believe to be one-seventh of the curse."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "But what about Neville?" I asked.

"Well, unfortunately, all Timed Release Curses are started by the Beginner Wand - the wand that cast the spell. In this case, it is Mr. Nott's. So, Mr. Nott's own wand held much more power than all the others combined, I'd say."

I felt sick, sick to my stomach.

"So there were seven wands with one-seventh of the power, and then one wand with more than seven-sevenths of the power?" I repeated queasily.

"Exactly," the Healer said in satisfaction.

"But how do we heal Neville?" I asked.

"Erm… yes, about that," a witch spoke up. "I'm Vizelia Nossanger, Bond Specialist of St. Mungo's."

"Bond Specialist?" I repeated, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"Yes, I study magical wizarding bonds. I had the privilege to look at the Amore Liber - the Book of Love that partnered everyone - and found that there is an 'amendment', if you will, that deals with those who have been Unforgivably Damaged."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"Unforgivable Damage ranges from being struck by one of the Unforgivable Curses, to the Osculus Curse, to… deliberate werewolf bites."

I stared at Seamus and Lavender, who still had their hands laced around each other.

"By spilling his most potently magical blood - that from his wrist to his elbow - Mister Finnigan managed to revive Lavender, at the price of becoming a werewolf and bonding his mind to hers."

"And I'll never, _ever_ be able to repay him," Lavender whispered hoarsely, leaning into Seamus's shoulder. I bit back an 'aww' when Seamus gently placed his head on top of hers.

"So what would happen if I did the same to Neville?" I asked. Mrs. Longbottom jumped up from the chair.

"You would do that?" she breathed. "You would?" I gave her my most sincere gaze.

"Yes."

She burst into tears and flung her arms around me.

As soon as Vizelia had managed to pry Mrs. Longbottom away from me, she continued on.

"Because both of you were hit with the Osculus Curse, there is no period of time when you are both under it. Instead, I believe you would both be unconscious for a few days."

She looked me straight in the eye. I was unable to read her expression. "Are you ready to do this?"

"One last question," I said hastily. "What will we be like under the bond?"

"Well, you'll be able to open a small channel to each other's thoughts, and send messages back and forth with practice," she began. "And you'll inevitably feel extremely lonely when you can't see him or be near him. He'll be the same."

I gulped. "I'm ready."

It would take all of my Gryffindor courage to do this.

* * *

><p>Harry, Ginny, Ron, Luna, Mrs. and Mr. Weasley, my parents, and Fred and George were all there for the ritual.<p>

I nearly fainted when Vizelia took out a silver dagger identical to Bellatrix Lestrange's.

"No!" both Harry and Ron yelled.

"She can't use that," Harry argued.

"No…" Ron mumbled.

"It's the only way," Vizelia said grimly, setting her jaw. "This is a ritual blade."

I took the evil thing in my hand and stared at Neville's face, then at my wrist.

**(Serious T ahead, violent.)**

I had no choice.

Carefully, painstakingly, I drew the blade from the end of my palm all the way to my elbow joint. Mrs. Weasley shrieked as blood gushed out - I knew these things were enchanted to encourage blood to come out.

Slowly I made another slit from the end of my thumb to my elbow joint.

Then another, on the back of my arm.

Then another, from my pinky.

Blood gushed out from all sides of my arm, flowing freely onto Neville's face. I felt myself growing weak from blood loss - the dingy metallic smell of it was clogging up my nose.

I began to see black spots in my vision. My arm shook as more blood flowed from the slits down, in waterfalls, to Neville's now blood-covered face.

I bit my lip so hard that _it_ began to bleed.

This was too much.

Too much pain.

Not enough blood.

"That's enough," Vizelia's voice seemed to say from very far away. She murmured a spell and my arm closed off it's openings. The blood sank into Neville's skin.

I gave up trying to fight them and let the black spots appear faster and faster, spreading across my vision until I could see no more.

* * *

><p><strong>So for those who are confused:<strong>

**-Nott timed seven Death Eater's wands to send out the Osculus Curse at a certain time.**

**-Neville was hit with the Osculus Curse by Nott, causing Unforgivable Damage. Because Nott's was the Beginning Wand, Neville got the worst of it.**

**-Hermione kills Nott.**

**-Hermione is hit by the Osculus Curse at 1/7 of it's power.**

**-Hermione wakes up a day later, whereas Neville probably won't **_**ever**_** wake up.**

**The Amore Liber's Amendment on Unforgivable Damage:**

"**If one of a partnership is incapacitated by Unforgivable Damage at the time of the partnering, both must suffer the Foam Curse or bond themselves. The bond is created when, using a traditional blade, the conscious partner makes themselves bleed from four places on their wand arm. This eventually awakens the unconscious, but both must suffer from the Unforgivable Damage for the rest of their life."**

**Also, Unforgivable Damage is ranked from X to XXXX.**

**X - Non-permanent, may cause minor mental damage. (Imperius Curse, weakened Osculus Curse)**

**XX - Non-permanent, is likely to cause mental damage, may inflict long-lasting pain. (Cruciatus Curse)**

**XXX - Permanent, causes an undesirable condition. May cause mental damage, pain, etc. (Deliberate Werewolf bite)**

**XXXX - Permanent, inflicts mental/physical pain. (Killing Curse, full Osculus Curse.)**

**Just wanted to clear things up a bit. Review and enjoy!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks to jessirose85, everymorrow, larissahazelmalfoy and MarisaCan'tRememberHerPassword for reviewing, and lots of others for putting Osculum on story alert! I promise there will be fluff/romance in this chapter, I just needed a bit of a buildup and background before it could happen. Read, review, and enjoy!**

* * *

><p>I awoke to a pleasant smell.<p>

It was earthy, and rich. It smelled like a type of soil that we had used once in Herbology…

Mooncalf soil, Professor Sprout had called it. I snuggled closer to the source - the smell was intoxicatingly good.

It was only when I opened my eyes wider did I realize that the source was Neville Longbottom.

I nearly jumped out of the hospital bed. How on earth did I get here? This seemed like a cruel joke that Fred or George might play on me…

Then I remembered the terms of the bond. I guess that I was inevitably drawn towards him - even in unconsciousness…

I crawled out from under the covers - someone had Transfigured my clothes into a hospital gown - and I sat on the edge of the bed. Neville was still asleep…

I thought about how he'd take the news. What he'd think of the bond…

Someone had cut his hair so that it hugged his face, his ears now visible.

"Miss Granger!" a voice said in surprise.

I turned to look at where it had come from. It was Vizelia Nossanger, the Bond Specialist.

"You're awake!" she squeaked in surprise.

"Good for you to notice," I said sarcastically. She didn't notice.

"Miss Longbottom! Mrs. Weasley! Mrs. Granger!"

The three people mentioned rushed from the other end of the room, flinging the hospital curtains open. Mrs. Weasley and my mum enveloped me in a hug.

"I tried to get you to sleep in a separate bed," my mum whispered in my ear. "But you always got up and walked back to his."

"I believe Neville should be waking up soon," Vizelia mused, glancing over Neville's face. "I have just the thing to speed along the process."

"What?"I asked.

_"Aguamenti,"_ she replied, shooting a jet of water into Neville's face.

"Whuh! Huh?" Neville gurgled, the water catching him full-on in his mouth. I fought back a cheer of joy as he opened his eyes wide.

"NEVILLE!" Miss Longbottom shrieked, then added, _"Finite."_ Vizelia's wand immediately stopped spraying water, and the old witch ran to hug her grandson.

"Gran?" Neville said quietly. He turned and looked at everyone. "Mrs. Weasley? Hermione?"

I felt my face split by a wide grin, and I jumped over the hospital bed and grabbed Neville in a bone-crushing hug.

"H-h-hi," he stuttered.

"Hi," she said back.

"W-what happened?" he asked. "I was battling Fenrir Greyback…"

"A Death Eater hit you with an illegal curse," I explained. "It was the Dementor's Kiss in a spell."

"Blimey," he murmured. "What happened to the Death Eater?"

I blushed and looked down. "I, er, killed him."

He smiled a bit at me.

"There's more," Vizelia said. "Miss Granger, may I take over telling him?"

"Sure," I said as casually as possible, but my voice shook a bit.

"Hermione, dear, can I talk to you for a moment?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

I followed her outside of the room, where she pulled me into another hug.

"How are you doing, sweetie?" she asked me.

"I'm still in shock," I admitted. Once again I felt tears well up in my eyes. "I- I thought that-"

"You and Ron?" she said quietly. I nodded, then burst into tears when I saw my skin foam up again

"I saw the way he looks at you," she told me. "Luna feels terrible, absolutely terrible about it. She's being monitored night and day - Minerva thinks that she'll purposely kill herself-"

"No!" I almost screamed. Several Healers shushed me. "Where is she?" I demanded fiercely.

"You know, you remind me of myself sometimes," Mrs. Weasley chuckled. "But rest assured, the Order is making sure Luna doesn't kill herself."

I glanced back in the room, an overwhelming urge to be near Neville drawing me back.

"It's more powerful than I thought," Mrs. Weasley remarked in surprise.

"I can't stand not seeing him," I admitted, my cheeks turning tomato red. "It's weird."

"In time, it'll be normal," she assured me.

"How do you know?" I asked. Were she and Mr. Weasley bonded?

"When you truly love somebody, those aches and pains are commonplace," she said with a wink.

I smiled in spite of myself, and went back into the room.

* * *

><p>When I entered, Neville stared at me like a was a Martian.<p>

"Kneazle got your tongue?" I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"We're… we're _engaged _and _bonded_," he whispered hoarsely.

"Surprise!" I said nervously.

"You could say that," he said, running his hand through his hair.

"Well, you seem perfectly okay, so both of you are discharged," announced Vizelia. "If anything strange begins to happen, here's a Portkey Permission Form. If that fails, you can always Apparate."

"Darling, we're going to get settled back in our house," my mum told me. "If you have any problems… I'm your mother. That's what I'm here for."

I smiled sadly and hugged my mother tightly.

"I love you," I said quietly.

"I love you too," she said in return.

I watched as both she and Mrs. Weasley were escorted from the room. Now it was just me, Vizelia, and the Longbottoms.

"We live in the country near Ottery St. Catchpole," Miss Longbottom told me briskly, business-like again. Neville shot me an apologetic glance. "We'll be using a Portkey to go there immediately."

Vizelia handed us an umbrella. "Good luck," she said to both of us.

The umbrella opened with a _snap_. All three of us grabbed onto the umbrella, and the now-commonplace hook behind my navel dragged me into my new life

* * *

><p>We appeared in a glen of four trees at the base of a hill.<p>

"This is Stoatshead Hill," Neville informed me. "Over that way is Ottery St. Catchpole."

I walked out of the trees and saw a charming little village nestled in a valley below. On the other side I could see a very familiar, lovingly dilapidated house.

"The Burrow!" I said in surprise.

"Behind it is St. Catchpole Woods," Miss Longbottom said. "And beyond this hill is the Warren, our house."

It was a steep climb, made no easier by my body, which hadn't moved in several days. Miss Longbottom, on the contrary, walked up it like she was going down a flat street.

Finally, we crested the hill, and I saw what may have been the most charming house in the world.

There was another hill of about the same size as Stoatshead Hill, only built into the side was a charming country house. There were dozens of staircases that led to rooms built literally into the side of the earth. Spread out beneath it was a giant farm, dotted with cows and goats.

"Welcome to the Warren," Miss Longbottom said grandly.

"It's beautiful!" I squealed, despite myself.

"Thanks," Neville said, blushing a bit.

Miss Longbottom Disapparated suddenly, appearing down at the door of the Warren. She waved at us, then went inside.

"I don't feel like Apparating much," Neville told me. "Want to walk?"

"Sure," I said, and fell into step next to him.

The way down the hill was much easier, and as we came closer to the Warren, more details became clear.

It was built almost stacked on top of itself, with the ceiling of one room becoming an outside deck, a staircase leading to the next floor. A flower garden sprouted out of the wall at random intervals, right next to windows that were partially hidden by the dewy green grass.

"That is about as marvelous as the Burrow," I told him.

"I can't imagine living anywhere else," he confided, then he stopped. "Woah."

"What?" I asked.

"This is the first time I've been outside in six months," he told me. I stared, shocked, at him.

_"No."_

"Yeah, the Carrows never let us outside, and then I moved into the Room of Requirement… well, okay, I went outside during the battle, but I was still in Hogwarts."

"It's good to be out, isn't it?" I said happily. Neville nodded and stretched his arms to embrace the crisp spring air.

We walked on a well-beaten path through the farm, stopping to see some animals here and there. At last, we reached the large door that led inside his house.

"Hermione dear, I've already arranged a room for you on the seventh floor," Miss Longbottom said from the window next to the door, where she was washing some dishes. "It's near Neville's, so if the bond starts acting up, you don't have to climb up a level."

Both Neville and I blushed and looked away at this last comment.

"Hey, uh, do you want to go skating after you get settled in?" he asked nervously.

"Skating?" I repeated incredulously. "Neville, it's springtime!"

"Well, when Gran got in one of her rages-" he began.

"Neville!" she scolded.

"It's true, I accidentally crushed all of the goose eggs!" he countered. "Anyway, she fired a Freezing Charm at me, but I ducked and it hit the lake instead. It's still frozen, nine years later."

"Wow," I gasped. Miss Longbottom must be one powerful witch - I wouldn't like to be on the receiving end of a spell of hers.

I spent the next half an hour wandering through the seemingly endless Warren. I climbed staircase after staircase, never tiring of the crazy things I would find in each room.

A normal-looking door led me to a room covered in vines. A wardrobe, to my delight, opened to a snow-covered room with a lamppost in the center. A floorboard - the entire house was made of wood - would sprout wings and fly when stepped on.

"This is your room," a soft voice behind me said.

I spun around. Neville was standing by a door, holding it open for me. I smiled appreciatively.

"Thanks, Neville," I said, and stepped into the room.

My eyes widened with bliss. It was a beautiful room, with the walls painted a rich gold and the floor carpeted in Gryffindor red. A large bed, in the same colors, had a fluffy orange pillow on it. Another door led to a beautiful balcony outside, which was about level with the top of Stoatshead Hill.

"Do you like it?" he asked me.

"I think it's brilliant!" I laughed, and flung myself on the bed like a little girl. My head hit the pillow.

It meowed and sprang at me.

"Crookshanks!" I yelled in delight, prying the cat off my chest and cradling him in my arms. The half-Kneazle stared at me adorably, it's squashed face twitching excitedly.

Neville had pulled out his wand and was pointing it at where Crookshanks had been located. He put it away sheepishly. "Sorry. Force of habit."

I put my cat back down on the bed, where he promptly fell asleep again, and followed Neville out of my room.

* * *

><p>"Floor twenty-three," he announced in a wheezing breath. It was a small attic, dusty and lit only by a bit of light coming through from a trapdoor in the ceiling.<p>

I grabbed the trapdoor and pulled it down, flooding the room with light.

"Is this the last floor?" I asked.

"Yup," he said. "C'mon."

I clambered up the last flight of stairs, following him.

Out of breath from the long climb, I flopped onto the grass at the top of Warren Hill, gasping for breath. Neville lay beside me, equally tired out.

"It's been a long time since I've climbed the stairs," he wheezed.

I got up and basked in the view. Below me, like a strange contraption, was the Warren, the farmland fanning out below. Stoatshead Hill blocked Ottery St. Catchpole from view, but if I strained my eyes I could make out the Burrow against the dark shape of St. Catchpole Woods.

Behind the Warren Hill was a small group of trees, followed by - true to Neville's words - a frozen lake. Snow was heaped beside it.

"It really _is_ frozen!" I said. Neville got up and looked at it.

"The Ministry couldn't undo it," he said proudly. "They had to put up hundreds of Muggle-Repelling Charms."

I laughed into the wind, the freedom and empty space getting to me. "Race you down!" I yelled, quite contrary to my usually serious self. I took off, the momentum of going downhill speeding me up quickly.

I looked to my right to see Neville right next to me.

_"Double time!"_ I shouted, pointing at my feet. The Quick-Step Spell sent me speeding ahead.

The thrill of the wind in my hair and face was like no other. I raced towards the trees, completely free of any worry about marriage, bonds, or turning into sea foam…

I slowed up with a Cushioning Charm as I got to the edge of the lake. Only a couple seconds later, Neville arrive beside me, coming to a screeching halt an inch from the ice.

"Is it safe?" I asked nervously, my cheeks flushed.

"Perfectly," he replied. "Er… _Accio skates!"_

There was a long-off shriek as two pairs of skates flew out of the Warren and zoomed straight for us. Neville caught them with ease and slipped a pair on. I had to Transfigure mine a bit so that they fit.

"I've never gone skating before," I told him.

"Really?" he said in surprise. "Well, you danced so naturally at the Yule Ball, you'll do fine on ice."

With a graceful leap Neville was on the lake, spinning around and around.

I couldn't believe it. Neville Longbottom, clumsy, duck-footed Neville, was like a swan on the ice. He twirled on a single foot, smiling in ecstasy as he relished the wintery cold.

"Rule number one is to never lean backward," he called to me.

Tentatively, I slid out onto the ice, making sure to lean over a bit. Slowly I skated around the lake's perimeter once, twice, three times.

"Nice!" he praised. I felt a warm glow in my chest. "Rule number two is two keep your weight evenly distributed between your feet."

I shifted some, carefully so as not to fall, and continued around, faster.

We continued all afternoon, and the troubles of the past year seemingly melted away as we danced around and around.

To be honest, I'm not sure I've ever had so much fun in my entire life.

It was turning to dusk, and the air was getting almost unbearably cold.

"Are you ready to go in now?" Neville asked me.

"One more lap," I pleaded.

"Okay," he said, but this time, he gently held me in the traditional dancing pose.

It was hypnotic, almost. We skated gently across the ice, to the step of a waltz. I let out a squeal of surprise when he spun me out and dipped me.

Slowly, mesmerizingly, we spun around and around, from one end to the other, our eyes never leaving each other's.

A smile lifted my lips, and, ever so carefully, I leaned my head into his chest. He stiffened slightly, then relaxed and continued to skate for both of us.

I breathed in that rich smell of Mooncalf soil again, enjoying it's intoxicating goodness.

"Let's go in," he breathed.

"Okay," I said, and made the mistake of letting go of him.

I had been relying on Neville for support for such a long time that I teetered precariously on my skates, and fell backward.

His strong arms caught me an inch before I fell and hit the ice.

"Remember the first rule," he whispered. "Never lean backward."

I don't know what made me do it. It may have been the bond.

It may have been me.

Whatever the cause, I leaned forward instead, and pulled Neville Longbottom into a kiss.

* * *

><p><strong>Haha, Warren, Burrow… I couldn't think of a better name for the Longbottom house.<strong>

** So yay! Fluff galore! This ice skating scene was actually the basis for this story, so now… IT'S OVER! Just kidding. **

** I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Please don't forget to leave a review!**

** ~PPB**


	7. Chapter 7

It was different, much different than the kiss I had had with Ron. That had been frenzied, needy, messy, _rough_.

This kiss began soft and delicate. It took a while for Neville to begin responding.

He tentatively - very, very tentatively - began to kiss me back. I brought my hands up to his neck and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss.

He broke it what might have been a few minutes - a couple hours - maybe several weeks - later, staring at my glowing face.

"We should go inside," I whispered softly.

"Yeah," he responded.

I Conjured a large blanket and threw it over both of our shoulders, keeping us warm for the walk back.

As we trudged through what first was snow and then became grass, I leaned into him, wrapping my arms around his waist.

He smiled and gently placed his head on top of mine.

* * *

><p>"Dinner's ready," Miss Longbottom said when we walked through the front door, having gone around the Warren. She shot us a glance. "Without any help from either of you, might I add."<p>

"Gran, we have to get married in a couple of months!" Neville protested good-naturedly. "We have to get to know each other."

"Oh, I suppose," she muttered irritably, but I thought I saw a hint of a smile lift her lips.

She had made a delicious noodle soup.

"This is a Muggle recipe!" I said in surprise. "Chicken noodle soup."

"Ah, but this is diricawl noodle soup," she said slyly. I choked on a piece of meat.

"_Diricawl_?" I whispered. "I'm eating a dodo bird?"

"Oh, come off it, they're overpopulated anyway," she said dismissively.

"But, I've always been taught that they're extinct…" I murmured. "It's so weird."

"It tastes good, though," Neville added.

We continued to talk, eating at a wooden table next to the fireplace. All of us had blankets on our legs, the house still freezing.

"Well, I'm heading to bed," Miss Longbottom announced. "Hermione, I'm on the third floor if you need anything. Good night, Hermione. Good night, Neville."

She kissed us both on the tops of our heads and walked away.

"So, 'Mione," Neville began. I stifled a giggle.

"What's so funny?" he asked indignantly.

"I never thought I'd hear you call me 'Mione," I laughed. He chuckled too. It was a good sound, low and deep.

To my embarrassment, I yawned. Mortified, I stifled it as best I could.

"I'm so, so, sorry, Neville," I began. He held a delicate finger to my lips.

"No need for apology," he told me. "You're tired. C'mon."

Sleepily we climbed the stairs, one after another, until we got to our floor.

"Well…" I said, blushing. "Good night."

"G'night," he replied, then said suddenly, "It was fun, today, skating. I've never had someone else to do it with."

"Me neither," I confessed. "I've… I've always wanted a sibling. I didn't like being an only child at all."

"That's why I was so glad to go to Hogwarts," he said. "It was like having a family."

"One, big, Gryffindor family," I said, smiling.

"Gryffindor families _are_ the best," Neville reasoned.

He grinned at me, and we walked to our bedrooms.

* * *

><p>I awoke to orange fur.<p>

Spluttering, I dragged my head out from beneath Crookshanks and went to the bathroom to wash the fur off. Once again, I was wincing at the cold of the Warren.

"Oh, _honestly_," I muttered. The water was freezing cold. _"Aestus."_ Instantly, the pipe began to heat, and the water jetting out now was much warmer.

As far as I could tell, the pipe just went into the ground, but I knew that there wasn't any Muggle plumbing…

I'd investigate it later. For now, I was going to fetch breakfast.

I turned to start the long descent of the stairs, then saw that from this floor down, they were all lined up. This gave me an idea.

_"Glisseo. Glisseo. Glisseo," _I said excitedly, and soon I had a seven-floor ramp in front of me. _"Spongify,"_ I added, softening the wood at the bottom.

Without another thought I jumped onto the ramp, and slid down to breakfast.

Miss Longbottom gave a little shriek when she saw me fly into the room and bounce of wood. I barely had time to say, _"Aresto Momentum,"_ to stop myself from breaking a bone.

"Keep on doing that, Miss Granger, and you will give me a heart attack," she admonished, but her eyes twinkled. "Now, you best undo that Slide Charm before my son gets out of bed."

I laughed lightly and turned all of the slides back into stairs.

"Now, I've already taken care of all the morning chores," she began. "And it's Neville's job to do the animals. But I _do_ need someone to make the trip to Ottery St. Catchpole and get me some fruits and some paper. Then we'll all head over to the Burrow for lunch."

"Do you think that Neville and I will be fine so far apart?" I asked with a frown.

"Hmm…" Miss Longbottom said, her eyebrows creasing magnificently to from a single unibrow. "Well, I'll do the animal chores. Take Neville into town with you."

"Thanks, Miss Longbottom," I said gratefully.

"Call me Augusta," she said. "Miss Longbottom makes me feel old."

"But you are old, Gran," a familiar voice said cheekily from up the stairs.

"Why you-" she began, turning red, but then she turned to me and mouthed _Glisseo?_

I grinned and pointed my wand up the stairs. "Morning, Neville," I said cheerily. _"Glisseo."_

"WOAAAH!" he yelled, the stairs he stood on explicably becoming fused together.

Both Augusta and I laughed as he slid down all the stairs, building more and more momentum.

At last he reached the bottom where, to my surprise, he grabbed onto my shoulders and took me to the ground with him.

"Not fair!" I protested weakly from the floor.

"Morning, 'Mione," he laughed, and kissed me on the cheek.

"Kisses will get you nowhere," I grumbled, but, alas, they had. I pulled myself up and then helped him.

"You know, I've always thought it's been too easy to get to the top of the Warren," Augusta said seriously. "Maybe I should put a Permanent Slide Charm on _all _of the stairs."

"Oh _Merlin_, no," Neville mumbled, and we all broke out into laughter.

* * *

><p>Thirty minutes later, Neville and I, dressed in winter clothes with Warming Charms on everything, set out for Stoatshead Hill, crossing the farmland and passing where Augusta was milking a goat. She waved at us, and I could have sworn that the goat flapped it's ear politely as we passed.<p>

The sun was still rising in the dull gray sky, and the clouds were wispy and colorless.

"It's beautiful out here," I said happily, then shivered. Beautiful, but _cold_.

"Are you alright?" Neville asked worriedly, and I saw him beginning to take off his jacket.

"No, no, I'm fine," I insisted, then leaned into him. As soon as our bodies came into contact with each other, I felt much warmer. He put an arm around me, heating my neck.

The climb up Stoatshead Hill was even steeper than I remembered, but we finally got to the top. Below us on the other side was St. Catchpole Valley, and on the other side the sprawl of the Warren could be seen from a bird's-eye view. If I looked beyond Warren Hill, I could see the trees lining the frozen lake's shore.

"Can you do the Quick-Step for me?" he asked.

"Sure! _Double Time_," I said, at both of our feet, and soon we were walking briskly down the hillside.

We walked through the quaint village of Ottery St. Catchpole. By now the sun had risen feebly through the clouds, shining a bit of light on everything.

We stopped at a witch's grocery. Mrs. Fawcett, the mother of a girl one year my senior, sold us the fruit, which she enchanted to be as light-weight as possible.

After we fetched the paper that Augusta needed, I darted inside Mrs. Fawcett's house and cast a dozen Disillusionment Charms on the bags. Neville and I used the Pinpointed Banishing Charm, sending the bags back to Augusta.

"Let's head to the Burrow now!" I said excitedly. I would be surprised if Harry, Ginny, and Ron _weren't_ there.

The pace increased as we left the outskirts of Ottery St. Catchpole. As the Burrow came in sight, with a laugh both of us began running for it as fast as we could, like nutters. As we came to the door, I thought about the disconnected, twenty-three floors of the Warren. I loved the Warren, but the Burrow was also special to me.

"Hermione!" Mrs. Weasley cried when she opened the door. "Neville! Come in, dears, everyone's here."

I grinned nervously as I stepped through the threshold, warmth enveloping me. I barely had time to get my coat off before Ginny ran down the stairs and caught me in a bone-crushing hug.

"Hello, Miss Longbottom," she greeted with a wicked smile. Neville turned beet red and looked away.

"Hello yourself, Miss Potter," I replied. "Where is everybody?"

"Right here!" a familiar voice rang out. Dashing down the stairs came Harry, followed by Ron and Luna, who looked suspiciously mussed up. Judging by their facial expressions, the two had just enjoyed a snog.

It didn't hurt me, to my surprise. There was absolutely no way around getting married to Neville, and I was perfectly fine with it. If he kept up kissing the way he had done on the lake, I was_ more_ than fine.

We were surrounded by a mass of red hair as the Weasley family led us to the fireplace to warm up. Less than a minute later, Fred - looking slightly bruised still, but not hurt - and George offered a game of Quidditch to Ron, Harry, and Neville.

"I'm referee," Neville said immediately. "You all know I can't fly for a sack of Galleons."

As the boys left outside, Ginny and Luna pulled me upstairs into Ginny's bedroom, where they shut the door and locked it with some spells I had never even heard of before. Ginny warned me that there was a Bat-Bogey Hex rigged on the door for anyone who thought of trying to leave it early.

"Now, spill," Ginny demanded once we were situated on the bed. I cast a Warming Charm on a quilt and pulled it around my shoulders.

"Spill what?" I said innocently.

"You and Neville!" she snorted.

"Yes, do tell. Ever since my fifth year he's been incredibly attractive," Luna said in her trademark dazed tone. I blushed deeply.

"Well, yesterday was our first day out of the hospital," I began.

"Ooh, you two have even _less_ time to get to know each other," Ginny said sympathetically.

"And we're living in the Warren. The bond makes it so that if I'm not near him, I get incredibly lonely. It was _really_ powerful when I first woke up, but now I think that it's worn off a bit."

"I love the Warren," Ginny said happily. "The farmland _and_ the house."

"It kind of reminds me of the Burrow," I said. "Except there are_ way _too many stairs to climb. I used the Slide Charm on some of them to get to breakfast today."

Both laughed.

"So we climbed all the way to the top of the Warren, then raced down to the other side, where there was a lake that Neville's grandmother had frozen nine years earlier-"

"She _is_ a powerful witch," Luna interrupted. "One time, Father wrote an article in the Quibbler that proved one of her theories wrong, and she enchanted all of them to say, 'I'm a load of rubbish'."

Ginny and I exchanged glances. If anything, Augusta was the one who was correct here.

"Well, we went skating on the lake," I continued. "And then we… slow-danced, I guess, across the water. And then he kissed me."

Despite herself, Ginny squealed. "What was it like?"

"Very - very tender," I said, my mind warming at the memory. "Passionate, but delicate and careful."

"I want to see," Ginny demanded, and I arched my eyebrows at her.

"See?"

_"Memoria imaginis,"_ Luna said by way of explanation, and a strand of silvery thread left my temple on the tip of her wand.

_"Accio Pensieve!"_ Ginny called, and a stone bowl decorated with rhinestones flew from her closet and onto the bed.

"This is our Girl Pensieve," Ginny explained. "We take all the memories of our time leading up to getting married, and split them in half - I'll do that soon. One half goes back into your mind so that you can keep the memory, and the other goes in the Pensieve."

Ginny carefully ran the tip of her wand over the center of the strand of thought, and Luna took one and placed it back in my mind. Ginny place the other into the Pensieve, while Luna took out three bowls and a small pitcher.

"Watch and learn," Ginny said. She swilled the Pensieve until my memory surface, of skating on the lake. Ginny poured some of the thoughts into her and Luna's bowls, and they plunged into it.

I wondered what else was in here. Despite my better instincts telling me not to, I swilled the contents some more, didn't bother to see what was happening, and plunged my face into the memory.

* * *

><p>I was at the lake next to the Burrow, this one unfrozen and burbling slightly. With a sickening lurch I realized that the two figure across the lake were Ron and Luna.<p>

I dashed over to the other side. Could this have been their first kiss?

Luna was sitting with her legs crossed, her hair blowing in the wind. She was pretty, I thought, in her own way. Her hair, untamed from the months of captivity in Malfoy Manor, was beautiful.

"Okay, my turn," Ron said. "Hmm… What's the worst thing that's ever happened to you in your whole life?"

Insensitive git, I thought immediately. Honestly, didn't he see the pain in her eyes when he said that.

"Either when my mother died or when I was being tortured at Malfoy Manor," she whispered.

Tears began to fall from her eyes as she looked away. Wasn't Ron going to say anything to her?

Then, to my surprise, he cupped her chin in his hand and brought her face to face with him. I waited for him to say something comforting.

Instead, he kissed her.

I had seen enough. Turning away from them, I jumped into the air, and instead of falling back down, flew high into the sky, and the memory melted away.

* * *

><p>When I arrived back in Ginny's Room, the others were back.<p>

"Which did you see?" Luna asked happily.

"Er - Ginny and Harry's," I invented quickly. Ginny looked at me - she could tell, of course she could.

"LUNCH!" Mrs. Weasley bellowed from downstairs. Just as Ginny and Luna were getting up, I called them back.

"I want you both to know that no matter what, we're going to get through this. And next year, I'm going back to Hogwarts, so I get to be in your class."

Ginny squealed again and gave me an excited hug, but Luna just smiled gratefully at me. She knew which memory I had seen as well.

And she realized that I accepted it.

* * *

><p><strong>That was a fun one to write! So, the date of when they visit the Burrow is May 16th, for those who are keeping track. So Hermione and Neville woke up from the Osculum coma on the 15th. Please leave a review and keep enjoying!<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

Ginny, Luna, and I were just sitting down for lunch when we heard something marvelous from outside.

It was a full-on orchestral piece, full of hundreds of different voices and instruments.

"What on earth?" Mrs. Weasley murmured in shock.

"C'mon!" Ginny said eagerly, forgetting all about the food. Luna traipsed after her, and I walked as fast as I could to catch up with them.

The sounds were coming from _everything. _Plants, shrubs, gnomes, even broomsticks, were making some sort of noise. Harry, Ron, George, and Fred all stared in awe at the display, while Neville stood below it, blushing.

"Neville?" I said, astounded. "You did this?"

"Yeah," he said, blushing even deeper.

"It's brilliant!" I shrieked, throwing my arms around him. "Can you teach me?"

"The incantation is just _Musicae Magna_," he told me. "While you think of the song you want to play, and what instrument."

"Wow," I gasped. He stopped all the instruments from playing, and I pointed - with a grin - to the Burrow.

"'Mione, you're brilliant," Fred gasped in awe. George nodded appreciatively.

I thought of a song I had heard a year earlier on the Muggle internet. I'm not going to go into details, but it involved a cat, a Muggle breakfast treat, and a rainbow.

_"Musicae Magna," _I said aloud, and a red light entwined with gold shot straight for the house. When it hit the house it made no visible movement.

Suddenly a series of loud electronic-sounding meows exploded from all depths of the house, in a catchy tune that got stuck in your head.

"Kill me now," Ron moaned, his head in his hands. Harry, recognizing the tune, grinned at me.

"FREDERICK AND GEORGE WEASLEY, GET YOUR UNGODLY BOTTOMS INTO THIS HOUSE THIS VERY MOMENT!"

They gaped at me soundlessly, but walked there anyway. A couple seconds later I heard Mrs. Weasley explode, "DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO PIN THIS ON HERMIONE!"

"It's impressive that we can still hear her over the music," Neville said thoughtfully.

"This isn't music!" Ron groaned, covering his ears. "Even bloody Celestina Warbeck is better than this."

"'Mione, it's getting annoying," Harry agreed. "Is there a countercurse, Neville?"

"Nope," he grinned wickedly. "It wears off after a couple of days."

I fought back a laugh. Ginny giggled.

"Well, if you'll excuse us, we'll be in the Warren," Neville said with a laugh. I shot Harry and Ron one last apologetic glance before Disapparating.

* * *

><p>"Please don't do that to the Warren," Neville pleaded as they walked through the farmland again. "The Music Spell is my specialty - Gran would kill me."<p>

"Of course I won't," I said with a laugh. "So, what's for lunch?"

"How does Occamy egg drop soup sound to you?" he asked. "It's our favorite."

"Sounds perfect," I replied as we entered the Warren.

I gasped and then burst out laughing. Augusta Longbottom was a woman of her word. Every single staircase in the house had been turned into a ramp.

"Well, at least we can all keep up with our exercise," Augusta said cheerily, Levitating herself down the ramps.

"It's brilliant, Augusta," I said.

"It is, isn't it?" she said self-importantly. "The soup will be ready in about half an hour."

Neville nodded and stood there for a minute. She smacked his head with her cooking spoon.

"That means you take her out on a date, you imbecile!" she scolded.

"Ow, sorry Gran!" he said. "'Mione, would you like-"

"Yes," I said, grinning to show him that I wasn't annoyed. "Where to?"

"Well, since you've been toying with music, why don't you show her the Catchpole Symphony?" Augusta suggested.

"Perfect," Neville decided. "Side-Along Apparate with me, 'Mione."

I grabbed hold of his arm, waved to Augusta, and Disapparated with a twist and a crack.

* * *

><p>We appeared, to my surprise, in the middle of St. Catchpole Woods. An old, twisted tree with its roots growing up from the ground in ridges was in front of us.<p>

"After you, Madame," Neville said in mock courtesy, bowing to a small rabbit hole nestled between two roots.

"Just like Alice in Wonderland!" I squealed, running over to the hole. Kneeling by it, I looked down, searching for whatever was down there.

The ground beneath me crumbled and I tumbled into the hole.

Frantically, I threw several Cushioning Charms around me, slowing my fall to a graceful glide. Neville plummeted by a moment later, gaping at my calmness and slow fall.

A giant, candle-lit room opened up beneath me soon. I stared, dumbfounded, as I saw creatures of all sizes and sorts playing hundreds of varied instruments. They were all playing different songs, but somehow they blended together to form a wild, ruggedly beautiful harmony.

Several stopped and looked at me, as I gracefully floated to the floor. I smoothed my shirt and landed with barely a sound on the ground.

"Shall we look around?" Neville said, getting up from the floor where he had landed.

"Let's!" I said excitedly, pulling him over to a hag. She was playing a fleshy-looking pipe that emitted noises similar to the hoots of an owl.

"Augurey pan pipes," she croaked. "Made from prime intestine. Twenty Galleons for one."

As Neville said 'no thank you', looking decidedly green, I glanced around and noticed that every musician was selling musical instruments.

"What do you play?" I asked him, leading him away from the augurey pan pipes and the cackling hag.

"Flute," he said after a moment. "You?"

"Cello or violin," I responded immediately. I had stopped during my sixth year at Hogwarts, but still considered myself an expert on them both.

"Then come with me over here!" he said, leading me through the Symphony to a section filled with hundreds of string instruments.

I was truly mesmerized. A merman in a tank of water was playing a cello made of fish scales, that had a delicate swooshing sound to it. A family of domesticated river trolls were playing rain violins, the resulting noise being something like water hitting water.

"Wow," I gasped. Next to the river trolls was a leprechaun, resplendent in a green tailcoat. He held a Petrified leaf with strings running down it in one hand, and a bow in the other. The entire instrument was bigger than he was.

As he began to play a lively tune, I bit back another gasp at the beautiful, lilting tones of the cello.

"Seventy Galleons for a homemade leaf cello," the leprechaun told me. My heart sank - in my purse I only had twenty Galleons. I wandered off into the crowd again, looking for a cheaper instrument.

"'Mione!" Neville called to me. I turned back to him, and headed through the crowd.

"What is it, Neville?" I asked.

"Here," he said, handing me a package.

"Oh, you shouldn't have," I gasped. Inside the package was a leaf cello, the one I had been admiring. It was perfectly shaped, split down the center by the strings. Delicate patterns were engraved into the leaf's skin, and the handle had a cluster of plants still growing on it.

"Well, you liked it so much…" he replied, blushing a bit.

I just grinned and kissed him full on the lips.

"Thanks so much," I whispered.

"Well, if that's my reward…" he joked, and I lightly punched him on the arm.

"Oh, for heaven's sake," I said, rolling my eyes in mock annoyance. "Let's go to the flutes."

With the remainder of both of our Galleons, we bought Neville a dreamflute from Burkina Faso, made out of the skin from the middle head of a Runespoor. The tone had a feather-light quality to it, a nice contrast to the sharpness of my leaf cello.

Neville and I had a strange sort of camaraderie. We were bound by two unbreakable spells - I wouldn't call either curses anymore - so there was no way out. But we had adjusted, and I was even able to see myself dating him outside the constraints of a bond.

Funny how I wouldn't have thought that a couple weeks ago.

* * *

><p>We wandered through the Catchpole Symphony for the next couple of hours, occasionally playing our instruments, sometimes just enjoying the beautifully foreign sounds of some, other times enjoying songs and sounds we already knew. Despite the cacophony of noise, it was very peaceful.<p>

"What's the time?" I asked Neville sleepily. The warmth of the room was seeping into my brain, despite my efforts to keep it at bay.

"Well, Gran's soup was ready three hours ago," he said sheepishly. "So we've missed lunch. But the Finale starts in a few minutes, so stay awake for that."

"Mmm-hmm," I murmured into his shoulder. We had taken a seat back by the string instruments, the lovely soaring notes of the various pieces mingling in my ears.

"This place is wonderful, isn't it?" Neville remarked aloud. "During the war it was ransacked. All the instruments destroyed, the room vandalized…"

He trailed off, noticing that I had shut my eyes tight as soon as he spoke of the war.

"I'm sorry, 'Mione," he whispered quietly. I couldn't respond.

We sat there for a few seconds, Neville's arms entwined around me in a protective gesture. He gently kissed the top of my head.

Without warning, a strange noise that sounded like a wolf's howl filled the room. The instruments were quickly silenced.

A second howl joined the other one, harmonizing perfectly. The two notes were entwined together, joined as one forever more.

"Werewolves!" A witch near us gasped in excitement.

I nearly jumped up, straining to see the source of then noise. Standing on a stage at the front were two quite ordinary wizards, from which the beautiful notes emanated.

A deep, rumbling bass note joined the others. A giant silver fish in a glass-blown bowl - a Ramora - was the next to add their voice.

I glanced to the front of the stage and saw a goblin vigorously conducting the Finale. His long, spindly fingers waved through the air enthusiastically. It might have been the first time I've seen a goblin smile genuinely.

Soon, a Runespoor - all three heads - was adding its voices to the mix, a bell-like innocence that was so different from the others.

More and more animals and Beings joined in, flooding the entire room with a primal sound I had never dreamed of hearing before. The caw of an aboriginal Diricawl, the diving and soaring notes of the phoenix song.

The sound all suddenly came to an end. The tension, the utter amazement that was in the room was pressing in on my ears. Neville stood ramrod straight.

And a flood of music burst through, the final glorious note held for a tremendous amount of time. The audience began screaming in admiration, a standing ovation necessary for such beautiful work.

I feel tears streaking down my face, blurring my vision into splashes of bright color and skin tone. I blink them away and turn to Neville, who was whooping and hollering for an encore.

After less than a moment's hesitation, I join him, screaming until I'm hoarse just because I can.

Neville pauses, smiling at me.

"Thanks for coming with me," he says, brushing his hand against mine. "It isn't as special without someone to appreciate it with."

Tired from my sudden burst of energy, I just grin at him through half-lidded eyes and lean into him. Unexpectedly, he sweeps me up into the bridal position.

"I think someone's getting sleepy," he teased.

"No, I'm-" I protested, but he cut over me.

"Soup's probably cold, but hey. We got to see that awesome finale. Let's go home."

Neville's strong arms held me in as he pushed and shoved his way through the crowd, finally getting to the opening of the Symphony. I barely saw a nearby witch hand him an umbrella, which floated us up through the rabbit hole back into the forest. Once there, he began trudging home.

"We're not Apparating?" I murmured quietly.

"I don't want to wake you up," he explained. "And it's peaceful around here."

I began to formulate an argument, but decided that being held by Neville was a better alternative.

The sun sinks down completely, and the stars come out.

* * *

><p><strong>12:30 AM<strong>

I am unconscious by the time we reach the Warren.

"We're here," he whispers, gently letting me down on the ground. "C'mon, 'Mione, it's time for bed."

"M'kay," I mutter, rubbing my eyes blearily.

"Neville Horatius Longbottom," a frosty voice echoed from inside the house.

It was Augusta Longbottom. She managed to be terrifying, even dressed in a billowing nightgown.

"Hi, Gran," he said meekly. I then noticed she carried twin frying pans in either hand.

"I gave your dinner to the chickens," she informed us. "And you'll have to make your own breakfast tomorrow."

"No, Augusta, it's fine-" I began, but she silenced me with a glare.

"Miss Granger, if you are to live in my household, you must go to bed at a reasonable hour," she said calmly. Her slow, matter-of-fact tone made it even worse. I was truly frightened, and expected that frying pan to be flung at me any moment.

"Now, you two, off to bed," she commanded. We both nodded and headed into the house.

To my dismay, the stairs were still ramps.

"Bollocks," Neville muttered.

_"Locomotor corpus,"_ I said, waving my wand. We were both lifted into the air, and carried up the stairs. Honestly, I was surprised that I had enough strength to even float one person.

We reached the seventh floor, where I - rather unceremoniously - dumped both of us on the wooden floor.

"Night, 'Mione," Neville mumbled, and he stumbled into his room.

"Night, Neville," I replied softly, getting back on my feet.

I fell asleep dreaming good dreams.

* * *

><p><strong>(IMPORTANT: I have started school - oh joy - and will not be able to update as frequently as I would like. I'll try to crank out 23 chapters of either Osculum or the Mole every week, but my English/History/Spanish teachers are being unmerciful. Thanks to all for reviewing!)**


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